ALDERSGATE PAPERS THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE ACWR VOLUME 11 JUNE 2015 ISSN

Transcription

1 ALDERSGATE PAPERS THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE ACWR VOLUME 11 JUNE 2015 ISSN EDITOR Glen O Brien, Booth College, Sydney ASSISTANT TO THE EDITOR Geoff Webb, University of Divinity, Melbourne EDITORIAL BOARD Kimberley E. Alexander, Regent University, Virginia Ian Breward, University of Melbourne Kent E. Brower, Nazarene Theological College, Manchester Jonathan P. Case, Houghton College, New York Floyd Cunningham, Asia Pacific Nazarene Seminary, Manila Brian Edgar, Asbury Theological Seminary, Kentucky Robert Gribben, Queen s College, Melbourne Geordan Hammond, Nazarene Theological College, Manchester Alan Harley, Tyndale College, Sydney Randy L. Maddox, Duke University, North Carolina David B. McEwan, Nazarene Theological College, Brisbane Dean Smith, Booth College, Sydney Norman Young, University of Divinity, Melbourne

2 Brisbane: Australasian Centre for Wesleyan Research 2015 Copyright 2015 All rights reserved. This book is copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1986, (for example a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review) no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. ISSN Printed by Springwood Printing Company NSW, Australia 2

3 The Australasian Centre for Wesleyan Research The ACWR promotes and supports research on the life, work and times of John and Charles Wesley, their historical and theological antecedents, their successors in the Wesleyan tradition, and contemporary scholarship in the Wesleyan tradition. This includes areas such as theology, biblical studies, history, education, ethics, literature, mission, cultural studies, philosophy, pastoral studies, worship, preaching, practical theology, and social theology. Currently the ACWR is headquartered at the Nazarene Theological College in Brisbane, Australia and is a working partnership formed by a number of Wesleyan theological institutions, and one denominational partner. Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (Church of the Nazarene), Manila Booth College (Salvation Army Eastern Territory), Sydney Booth College of Mission (Salvation Army New Zealand Territory), Wellington Catherine Booth College (Salvation Army Southern Territory), Melbourne Kingsley Australia (Wesleyan Methodist), Melbourne Nazarene Theological College (Church of the Nazarene), Brisbane The Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand We also have formal partnerships with the following libraries: Camden Theological Library, Sydney (NSW Synod of the Uniting Church) The Sugden Heritage Collections at Queen s College (a college of the Victorian and Tasmanian Synod of the Uniting Church within the University of Melbourne). Each of the Partner Colleges and Libraries provides quality resources for 3

4 students and researchers in this field. We are actively seeking to enlarge our range of partners throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as further afield. Abstracts from the journal are listed in Religious and Theological Abstracts Subscriptions Subscriptions (AUD $60 for 2 volumes + $6 postage) may be obtained from the website of The Australasian Centre for Wesleyan Research Enquiries should be addressed to Glen O Brien, Editor, Aldersgate Papers PO Box 4063 Bexley North NSW 2207 or glenaobrien@gmail.com Back copies of some issues of the journal are available for $15 each. Guidelines for Submissions Aldersgate Papers has been published since September 2000 and is an international journal publishing articles and reviews in theology and all related disciplines. The journal follows the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed. for all matters of style with the exception of spelling which follows the Oxford English Dictionary. Authors may also refer to Kate L. Turabian s short guide to the Chicago style, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations, 16th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). 1. Submissions should be sent as attachments in electronic format to the editor, glenaobrien@gmail.com ph: or +61 (0) Books for review and correspondence about reviews should also be sent to the editor. 3. The in which the submission is sent functions as a cover sheet, with the title of the paper, name and title of the author, institutional affiliation and teaching or research post (if relevant), postal address, phone, fax, and . Except for the cover sheet, all identification should be removed. 4. Papers should include a brief abstract, be word-processed, double-spaced, and numbered, with ample margins. Footnotes (not endnotes) should also be double-spaced and numbered consecutively. 5. The length of published articles is restricted to a maximum of about 8,000 words including footnotes. 4

5 9. Except for brief quotations of no more than a line, the body of all papers should be in English. 10. Illustrations, tables, maps and figures should appear on separate pages following the footnotes. They must be numbered consecutively and include captions which identify the source of any image or data. Authors are responsible for obtaining and paying for the use of all copyrighted materials and any reproduction charges. 11. Authors are urged to double check all references ensuring that they are complete and include accurate page numbers. References to manuscript, archival and printed government sources should follow recognised conventions and avoid ambiguous contractions. 12. Footnotes should be numbered consecutively. Some examples follow: Journal Article: 7. J. Stenhouse, Christianity, Gender, and the Working Class in Southern Dunedin, , Journal of Religious History 30:1 (Feb. 2006): Modern Book: 8. M. A. Noll, The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield and the Wesleys (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2004), Subsequent references to the same work should be reduced to: 9. Noll, 112. Early Book: (Publisher may be omitted) 10. William Baldwin, A Treatise of morall philosophy Contaynynge the sayings of the wyse (London, 1579). Government Publication: 11. U. K. Parliamentary Debates, Lords, 5th ser., vol.13 (1893), cols and subsequently : 12. Parl. Deb., Lords, 5th ser., 13 (1893):

6 Archival Source: 13. Report of the Committee into Convict Discipline, 24 March 1842, CSO 22/50, Archives Office of Tasmania, Hobart. Manuscript: 14. Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Bodley 581, fols v. and subsequently 15. Bodley 581, fol. 23. Bible References: 16. Heb. 13:8, For standard scriptural abbreviations see Chicago Manual of Style, Classical and Medieval References: 17. Abelard Epistle 17 to Heloise (Migne PL c-378a). 18. Cicero De officiis 1.133, 140. Abbreviations should follow the Oxford Classical Dictionary. 13. Subsequent citations to a work previously cited should provide only the author's last name and the page number(s) and, in the case of citations to more than one work by the same author, a short title of the work. Do not use Ibid or other Latin contractions. 6

7 CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE Christopher Bounds is Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana. Brian Edgar is Professor of Theological Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky. David N. Field is European Coordinator of Methodist e-academy in Basel, Switzerland. Rob A. Fringer is Associate Lecturer in Biblical Studies at Nazarene Theological College, Brisbane James Haire is Professor of Theology, and Director of the Public and Contextual Theology Research Centre, Charles Sturt University, Canberra. Thomas A. Noble is Professor of Theology at Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Missouri. Garry W. Trompf is Emeritus Professor in the History of Ideas at the University of Sydney. Kalie Webb is Divisional Commander, Western Victoria Division, Salvation Army Southern Territory and a Master of Theology candidate in the University of Divinity. Gregory Young was an outstanding student in philosophy and theology at Houghton College (Houghton, New York) who passed away in February

8 EDITORIAL This 11 th volume of Aldersgate Papers comes after considerable delay and with apologies to authors and readers who have waited longer than they ought to have. It contains research articles and addresses that originate from a range of sources including papers that presented at the 13th Oxford Institute for Methodist Theological Studies, the 5 th Annual Conference (Sydney 2013) and Sixth Annual Conference (Melbourne 2014) of the ACWR, and papers presented to Workshops on the History of Australian Methodism held at Queen s College, Melbourne (2011), and the Adelaide College of Divinity (2013). These presentations were then further developed and passed through a careful process of peer review before publication. The ACWR has continued to see expansion over the last twelve months with the addition of several new Members and Research Fellows including Research Fellows, Dr. Arseny Ermakov, PhD, Head of Biblical Studies, Booth College, Sydney, Dr. Janice McRandal, PhD, Director of Studies in Systematic Theology, Trinity College, Brisbane and new Members including Rob A. Fringer, PhD candidate, Nazarene Theological College, Manchester and Lecturer in Biblical Studies at Nazarene Theological College, Brisbane, Caroline Jewkes, Master of Theology student at Laidlaw College, New Zealand, and Kalie Webb, MTh candidate, MCD University of Divinity. Our 7th Annual Scholarly Conference took place in Melbourne on August 2014 at the Uniting Church's Centre for Theology and Ministry with Dr. Deirdre Brower Latz, Principal of Nazarene Theological College, Manchester as our keynote speaker. Two papers from that Conference appear in this issue of the journal. Due to extenuating circumstances the 2015 Conference on Wesleyans at Worship has been postponed until 2016 at which time it will be held on the campus of the Nazarene Theological College, Brisbane. We encourage scholars from a broad range of disciplines to submit paper proposals via our website on any aspect of the chosen theme. The ACWR has been closely associated with the publication of a new scholarly history of Australian Methodism and we are pleased to announce that Methodism in Australia: A History, ed. Glen O'Brien and Hilary Carey has been published in the Ashgate Methodist Studies Series. The ACWR has being among the financial contributors to the series of Conferences that led to this multi- 8

9 contributor book. Several chapters have been written by ACWR Research Fellows including Ian Breward, Glen O Brien, and D'Arcy Wood. Our website gives a fuller indication of the research and publishing activity of our Members and Fellows. It is certainly an impressive body of work All work done for the ACWR is entirely voluntary. The costs of operation relate mostly to the publication of this journal, the maintenance of our website and the running of the annual scholarly conference. Monies are received from subscriptions to the journal, Members fees, Partner Institute fees and Conference fees. Any surplus is able to be used to support other scholarly activities that meet the aims of the Centre. Your continued interest in Wesleyan scholarship is vital to enable the ongoing development and activities of the Centre. Glen O Brien Editor 9

10 WESLEYAN ESCHATOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CHURCH S ENGAGEMENT WITH OTHER RELIGIONS Christopher T. Bounds This article has been peer reviewed Wesleyans believe the Kingdom of God has been inaugurated and manifests itself currently through the Church in varying degrees so that eschatology has implications for the present life. With this theological framework as an underlying assumption, this article attempts to identify distinctive Wesleyan eschatological themes running consistently through the history of Methodism relevant to inter-religious relationships: the centrality of Christ, the renewal of the created order, the renewal of the full image of God in humanity, the dynamic nature of the eschaton, and an optimism for God fearers and workers of righteousness. It then explores how these themes should influence a Wesleyan engagement with other religions: through genuine openness to relationships of mutual love and learning, through faithful witness to the saving and sanctifying grace of Jesus Christ, and through joint collaboration in the stewardship of creation and in the promotion of human eudaimonia. Introduction Eschatology as Christian doctrine seeks to express the Church s understanding of final events in the present age; the consummation of the created order when God will be all in all ; and how eschatology impacts contemporary life and reality. While some Wesleyan theologians have been reticent to address the subject, or reluctant to speculate on particular issues surrounding Christ s second coming and millennial reign, there has been a consistent articulation of a Wesleyan vision of the life everlasting since the eighteenth-century Methodist revival, with provisional implications drawn for the present age. 1 Because John Wesley and his theological 1 John B. Cobb in Grace and Responsibility: A Wesleyan Theology for Today (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995) does not address eschatology; H. Ray Dunning in Grace, Faith, and Holiness: A Wesleyan Systematic Theology (Kansas City: Beacon

11 heirs believed first evidences of the age to come were being expressed already in the lives of Christians, adjectives like realized, anticipated, inaugurated, and processive are used to describe their eschatology. 2 The purpose of my paper is twofold: (1) to identify key features of this historic Wesleyan eschatological vision relevant for Christianity s engagement with different religions and (2) to explore their implications within the larger framework of the Church s openness, dialogue and witness, and collaboration with other faiths. In the last twenty years there has been a renaissance among Wesleyan scholars attempting to connect Wesleyan New Creation eschatology with contemporary issues: ecclesial, social, economic, ecological, and inter-religious. 3 Unfortunately, the work done on Christianity s relationship with other religions, while helpful, has been limited in scope; usually restricted to the applicability of John Wesley s eschatological views; to the contributions other religions make to Wesleyan eschatology; to common conceptions of heaven, to inter-religious cooperation; or to the fate of people in final judgment who have never heard the Gospel. 4 Hill Press of Kansas City, 1988), relegates the bulk of his discussion on eschatology to an appendix. See Timothy L. Smith s Called unto Holiness, vol. 1, The Story of the Nazarenes: The Formative Years (Kansas City: Nazarene Publishing House, 1962), 35, 127, for a discussion of Wesleyans who affirmed the major points of eschatology, but refused to engage in divisive themes over unsettled issues regarding Christ s millennial reign. Among theologians who have explored the implications of a Wesleyan eschatology for the present age, most notable is Theodore Runyon s The New Creation: John Wesley s Theology Today (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998); see also Randy Maddox s development of personal, social and ecological ethics out of Wesley s eschatology in his work, Responsible Grace: John Wesley s Practical Theology (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), See Jerry Mercer, The Destiny of Man in John Wesley s Eschatology, in Wesleyan Theological Journal 2:1 (1967): 58-59; James Cecil Logan, Toward a Wesleyan Social Ethic, in Wesleyan Theology Today, ed. Theodore Runyon (Nashville, TN: Kingswood, 1985), 363; and Clarence Bence, Processive Eschatology: A Wesleyan Alternative, in Wesleyan Theological Journal 14:1 (1979): See the plenary lectures from the Eleventh Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies edited by M. Douglas Meeks and published in Wesleyan Perspectives on the New Creation (Nashville, TN: Kingswood Books, 2004). These lectures explore the implications of Wesley s New Creation eschatology from different theological disciplines for a full range of contemporary issues. 4 For examples of these types of Wesleyan eschatological work, see Jong Chun Park, Christian Perfection and Confucian Sage Learning: An Interreligious Dialogue in the Crisis of Life, in Wesleyan Perspectives on the New Creation, ; Joe Gorman, Grace Abounds: The Missiological Implications of John Wesley s Inclusive Theology of Other Religions, Wesleyan Theological Journal 48:1 (2013): 38-53; Michael Hurley, Salvation Today and Wesley Today, in The Place of Wesley in the Christian 11

12 This article attempts to make a modest contribution to Wesleyan reflection by identifying the major eschatological themes relevant to interreligious relationships; by going beyond a simple appeal to John Wesley s teaching on these subjects, tracing a distinctive and clear eschatological perspective running through many of the major theologians in Methodist history; and by helping consolidate, through an eschatological lens, the central points made by Wesleyan scholars regarding the Church s relationship with other faiths. 5 I. A Wesleyan View of Eschatology Relevant to Christianity s Engagement with Other Religions While there are differences in eschatological understanding among major theologians in the Methodist tradition, certain fundamental ideas germane to Christianity s engagement with other religions can be traced historically, originating in the eighteenth century and Tradition, ed., K. A. Rowe (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1976), ; Randy L. Maddox, Wesley and the Question of Truth or Salvation through Other Religions, Wesleyan Theological Journal 27 (1992), 7-29; Runyon s The New Creation, ; Godwin R. Singh, New Creation in the Contexts of Religious Pluralism and the Wesleyan Critique at 5 In a survey of the most important contributions of Wesleyan theology from the last twenty-five years on this subject, limitations in scope are apparent. First, there are treatments limited to one or two major eschatological areas, but which lack a more comprehensive eschatological approach. For examples see Eric Manchester, Why is Evangelism Important if One Can Be Saved without the Gospel?, Wesleyan Theological Journal 37:1 (2002): ; Philip R. Meadows, Candidates for Heaven: Wesleyan Resources for a Theology of Religions, Wesleyan Theological Journal 35:1 (2000): ; and Singh, New Creation in the Contexts of Religious Pluralism and the Wesleyan Critique. Second, there are studies limited to the theology of John Wesley. For examples see Gorman, Grace Abounds: The Missiological Implications of John Wesley s Inclusive Theology of Other Religions, 38-53; Maddox, Wesley and the Question of Truth or Salvation through Other Religions, 7-29; and Frank Whaling, Wesley s Premonitions of Inter-Faith Discourse, in Pure Universal Love: Reflections on the Wesleys and Interfaith Dialogue, ed. Tim Macquiban (Westminister Wesley Series No. 3, Summer 1995), 17. Finally, there are Wesleyan reflections on interfaith relationships that enter into dialogue with other Wesleyan scholars on the subject, but attempt no correlation or organization of these contributions under eschatology. For examples see Cobb, Grace and Responsibility, ; Floyd T. Cunningham, Interreligious Dialogue: A Wesleyan Holiness Perspective, in S. Mark Heim, Grounds for Understanding: Ecumenical Resources for Responses to Religious Pluralism (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1998), ; Thorsen, Jesus, Ecumenism, and Interfaith Relations, 59-71; and Amos Yong, A Heart Strangely Warmed on the Middle Way? The Wesleyan Witness in a Pluralistic World, Wesleyan Theological Journal 48:1 (2013):

13 culminating in the present: from early Methodists: John Wesley, John Fletcher, and Richard Watson; nineteenth and early twentiethcentury Wesleyans: John Miley, William Burt Pope, and Thomas Ralston; and twentieth and twenty-first century Nazarene and Methodist theologians: A.M. Hills, H. Orton Wiley, Kenneth Grider, Thomas Oden and Randy Maddox. 6 Specifically, there are six eschatological themes consistently held in the Wesleyan tradition relevant to Christianity s relationship with other religions: (a) the centrality of Jesus Christ in the eschaton (b) the renewal of the created order, (c) the renewal of the full divine image in humanity, (d) the dynamic nature of the eschaton, (e) divine judgment and (f) optimism for God fearers and workers of righteousness. a. The Centrality of Jesus Christ Because the Wesleyan tradition as a whole has embraced historic orthodox Christology, as represented in the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, the centrality of Christ to eschatology is clear. 7 Certainly, 6 Central to my task is the identification of certain fundamental ideas about the eschaton running throughout the history of the Wesleyan tradition. To do so, I draw upon the works of early Methodists: John Wesley, The Works of John Wesley, ed. Thomas Jackson (London: Wesleyan Methodist Book Room, 1872; Reprint by Baker Book House, 1978), and Sermons, ed. Albert C. Outler, The Bicentennial Edition of the Works of John Wesley (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1976-); John Fletcher, The Whole Works of the Reverend John Fletcher (London: Partridge and Oakley, 1835); and Richard Watson, Theological Institutes (New York: Hunt and Eaton, 1889), and A Biblical and Theological Dictionary (New York: Carlton & Porter, 1856); from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: William Burt Pope, A Compendium of Christian Theology (New York: Phillips & Hunt, 1880); John Miley, Systematic Theology (New York: Eaton and Mains, 1894); and Thomas N. Ralston, Elements of Divinity, ed. T. O. Summers (Nashville: Cokesbury Press, 1924); and from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: A.M. Hills, Fundamental Christian Theology: A Systematic Theology (Pasadena, CA: C. J. Kinne, Pasadena College, 1931); H. Orton Wiley, Christian Theology (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1943); Kenneth Grider, A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1994); Maddox, Responsible Grace; and Thomas C. Oden, Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology (New York: HarperOne, 2009). I will also draw upon the work of other theologians including Kenneth J. Collins, The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2007), and H. Ray Dunning s Grace, Faith, and Holiness (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1988), While there are obvious limitations to this approach, the attempt is to show the relevance of these elements of a Wesleyan eschatology, consistently held throughout Methodist history, to inter-religious engagement. 7 For an example of the typical affirmation of historic Christology in the Wesleyan tradition, see The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2012 (Nashville, 13

14 there have been Methodist theologians who have challenged traditional Christology, but their appeal has been limited. 8 Wesleyan theology has consistently rejected any form of pluralism, conceiving of no redemption and final salvation apart from the person and work of Jesus Christ. 9 Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, one in nature with the Father, but distinguishable in person, who assumed full human nature in the incarnation to redeem humanity and the created order from all forms of sin and evil. He is the theandric one: fully divine and fully human. 10 Through his life, death, resurrection, and exaltation he inaugurates the work of recreation in the present age and will consummate it in the coming eschaton. Christ is key to the eschaton: he will come again in his humanity to usher in the Kingdom of Glory; the general resurrection from the dead is made possible by and is patterned after his physical resurrection; he presides over the great assize of every human being in the final judgment; and he makes possible in heaven an intimate, and uninterrupted union with God; a constant communion with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, through the Spirit; a continual enjoyment of the Three-in-One God, and all the creatures in him. 11 TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, 2012), 102-4, particularly Articles of Religion I-III and Confession of Faith, Articles II and XII. 8 A recent example is retired United Methodist Bishop C. Joseph Sprague s Affirmations of a Dissenter (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2002). 9 Here I am working with the standard categories of exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism as popularized by Alan Race in Christians and Religious Pluralism (London: SCM Press, 1983). 10 For a helpful overview of the official doctrinal statements on Christology among the diversity of Wesleyan denominations, see Thomas Oden, Doctrinal Standards in the Wesleyan Tradition (Grand Rapids, MI: Francis Asbury Press of Zondervan Publishing House, 1988), , , , , The quote is taken from John Wesley, Sermon 64, The New Creation, 18 in Sermons II, ed. Albert C. Outler, vol. 2 of The Bicentennial Edition of the Works of John Wesley (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1985), 510. The centrality of Christ in these eschatological categories can be seen in John Wesley, Sermon 15, The Great Assize, Works, 1: ; Sermon 51, The Good Steward, Works, 2: ; Sermon 64, The New Creation, Works, 2: ; Watson, A Biblical Dictionary, , , , , ; Pope, Compendium of Christian Theology, III: ; Miley, Systematic Theology, II: ; Ralston, Elements of Divinity, ; Hills, Fundamental Christian Theology: A Systematic Theology, II: ; Wiley, Christian Theology, III: ; Grider, A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology, ; Oden, Classic Christianity, ; and Maddox, Responsible Grace, For the purpose of this study, I will cite theologians in their chronological order. 14

15 b. Renewal of the Created Order In contrast to any form of Gnosticism infecting Christian eschatology, a Wesleyan view of the life everlasting teaches that God does not destroy fallen creation. Because of the goodness of creation and divine love, God renews and perfects it. Humanity s full nature ( body and soul ), the diversity of natures in the created order, and the entire universe will be redeemed from all forms of corruption and brought to their ultimate end: union with God. In the eighteenth century, John Wesley inherited from his Anglican tradition a form of medieval eschatology focused on a spiritual view of heaven. At death Christians are immediately ushered into a transcendent reality free of the physical world, obscuring traditional teaching of an intermediate state, bodily resurrection at Christ s second coming, and a new heavens and earth. 12 However, Wesley rejected this model and shifted focus. He recognised a conscious intermediate state at death for humanity, in which there is separation from the body, but this is only temporary and anticipatory of ultimate glory. 13 At Christ s second coming, the intermediate state of death will cease. The dead will be reunited with their bodies, now transformed and suited for their respective destinies through bodily resurrection. 14 After final judgment, the entire created order will be transformed and made incorruptible for life everlasting, no longer subject to disease, decay and death. This change is not a change in nature, but in qualities, encompassing plants, animals, and the geo-physical activity of the world. 15 Wesley s theological heirs generally followed in his same tracks, recognizing the place of human nature and the entire created order in the eschaton. Regarding humanity, they are keenly aware of the necessity of the human body to human nature. The human body is honoured. 16 Without bodily resurrection, even though persons have 12 Maddox, Responsible Grace, Here, Maddox is reliant upon Colleen McDannell and Bernard Lang, Heaven: A History (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1988). 13 Wesley, Sermon 132, On Faith, Works, 4: Benjamin Calamy, The Resurrection of the Dead, ed. John Wesley in The Works of John Wesley, ed. Thomas Jackson, VII: John Wesley, Sermon 64, The New Creation, 2: See Maddox s discussion of Wesley s vision of animals in the new creation in Responsible Grace, , Watson, A Biblical Dictionary, ; Pope, Compendium of Christian Theology, III: 405-8; Ralston, Elements of Divinity, ; Wiley, Christian Theology, III: ; and Oden, Classic Christianity,

16 conscious existence in an intermediate state, they are incomplete. 17 Following the pattern of Christ s resurrection, a person s resurrected body is identical with the one that died, although with a change in its properties; it will not be a different body, but a different form of the same body. The resurrected body of the righteous will be perfectly suited for the new creation, able to participate fully in creation and enjoy union with God and fellow humanity. 18 It will be consummately radiant, agile, fine, and not subject to suffering, reflecting the glory of God. 19 Regarding the created order, Wesley s heirs by and large made the connection between humanity s bodily resurrection and the necessity of a physical world in which to live. 20 Christ s bodily resurrection anticipates the future of all created existence, when God will transform the world and be all in all. Jesus glorified body is the sign of creation s future. More specifically, humanity s resurrected bodies must have a physical order in which to live. Humanity is inseparable from the created world. As creation has shared in humanity s corruption and fall in the Garden, it will participate in the full work of God s redemption, in the glorified and incorruptible state of resurrection. 21 While few have addressed the full ramifications of the new creation in regard to animal and plant life, their theology certainly sets the foundation for such reflection. Indeed, Wesleyans more recently have begun to press the ramifications of the new heavens and earth for animal and plant life Watson, A Biblical Dictionary, ; Pope, Compendium of Christian Theology, III: 406, 452; Ralston, Elements of Divinity, 504-5; Wiley, Christian Theology, III: 235, ; Oden, Classic Christianity, ; and Maddox, Responsible Grace, Watson, A Biblical Dictionary, 822; Pope, Compendium of Christian Theology, III : 406-8; Miley, Systematic Theology, II: 453; Ralston, Elements of Divinity, 408-9; Wiley, Christian Theology, III: ; Oden, Classic Christianity, Thomas Aquinas as quoted by Oden in Classic Christianity, Pope, Compendium of Christian Theology, III: ; Miley, Systematic Theology, II: ; Wiley, Christian Theology, III: 388; Oden, Classic Christianity, See the sources in the previous footnote and Christopher T. Bounds, God s Ongoing Redemption of All Creation, in Creation Care: Christian Voices on God, Humanity, and the Environment, ed. Joseph Coleson (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2010), Maddox, Nurturing the New Creation, 43-45; Runyon, The New Creation,

17 c. Renewal of the Full Divine Image in Humanity If renewal of the created order is about the redemption of creation s diverse natures, the full restoration of the imago dei speaks to the reclamation of the human person. The former addresses humanity s body and soul. The latter treats human personhood. Both have prominent places in Wesleyan eschatology. Like other Protestant traditions, Wesleyan eschatology affirms the full restoration of the divine image in humanity, but what sets the Wesleyan perspective apart is the degree to which it can happen in the present life. John Wesley believed humanity reflects the image of God in three ways: moral, natural and political. 23 The moral image enables humanity to enjoy true righteousness, holiness, love, and knowledge of God through the immediacy of a relationship with God. The moral image forms the guiding principle of humanity s disposition, thoughts, words and deeds. The natural image endows humanity with immortality, rationality, understanding, free will, and perfectly ordered affections. 24 The political image gives humanity the power of governance, whereby it exercises dominion in the created order and relates appropriately to God and neighbour. 25 Before the Fall, holiness, righteousness and love informed humanity s reasoning, understanding, will and affections, resulting in the wise exercise of stewardship in the created order, rightly ordered relationships with fellow humanity, and perfect love and obedience to God. However, as a result of original sin, the moral image was destroyed and the natural and political extensively marred. 26 Wesley believed that through participating in God s eschatological work in the present life, the moral image would be completely restored and progress could be made in the renewal of the natural and political. 27 This is Wesley s doctrine of Christian perfection. Ultimately, what is 23 Wesley, Sermon 45, The New Birth, I.1, Works, 2: Wesley, The New Birth, I.1, Works, 2: 188; Wesley, Sermon 62, The End of Christ s Coming, I.3-7, Works, 2: Wesley, The New Birth, I.1, Works, 2: Wesley, The New Birth, I.1, Works, 2: 188; I.2-3, Works, 2: ; Sermon 62, The End of Christ s Coming, I.10, Works, 2: 477. Also see John Wesley, Sermon 141, The Image of God, Works, 4: Maddox, Nurturing the New Creation, 29; Wesley, Sermon 77, Spiritual Worship, II.6, Works, 3: 96; Sermon 62, The End of Christ s Coming, III.1-6, Works, 2: ; Sermon 76, Christian Perfection, Works, 3: 70-87; Sermon 141, The Image of God, III.1-3, Works, 4:

18 left undone in God s restoration of the imago dei culminates in glorification and the full image is made incorruptible. 28 While not all of Wesley s theological heirs appropriate his moral, natural and political paradigm, they do describe in similar ways the divine image in humanity, its ruin through sin, and its restoration through Christian perfection in the present life and glorification in the eschaton. 29 The image of God entails: holiness and love; rationality, understanding, judgment, affection, and will; and relationships of love. 30 What was lost of holiness and love in the divine image through the fall is recovered through Christian perfection in this life and made incorruptible in the eschaton. 31 This enables believers to walk in loving obedience to God and service to neighbour. While there can be progress presently in rationality, understanding, and judgment, these will not be fully renewed and made perfect until glorification. 32 Therefore Christians may be able to live a life motivated and empowered by holy love, but be subject to mistakes, misunderstandings, and errors in judgment until final restoration. Through the full renewal of the image of God, all forms of separation and alienation in every sphere of human relationships will exist no more. d. The Dynamic Nature of the Eschaton With the full renewal of human nature and the imago dei through Jesus Christ, humanity is equipped for dynamic growth and 28 Wesley, Sermon 76, Christian Perfection, I.1-3, Works, 3: 72-74; Sermon 40, Christian Perfection, I.1-9, Works, 2: For examples of those who follow Wesley s basic paradigm, see Watson, Theological Institutes, II: 8-18; Pope, Christian Compendium, I: ; Wiley, Christian Theology, II: 32-39; Maddox, Responsible Grace, 68-72; and Runyon, The New Creation, Watson, Theological Institutes, II: 8-18; Pope, Christian Compendium, I: ; Miley, Systematic Theology, I: ; Ralston, Elements of Divinity, ; Hills, Fundamental Christian Theology, I: ; Wiley, Christian Theology, II: 32-39; Grider, A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology, ; Dunning, Grace, Faith, and Holiness, ; Maddox, Responsible Grace, Watson, Theological Institutes, II: ; Pope, Christian Compendium, III: 44-61; Miley, Systematic Theology, II: ; Ralston, Elements of Divinity, ; Hills, Fundamental Christian Theology, II: ; Wiley, Christian Theology, II: ; Grider, A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology, ; Dunning, Grace, Faith, and Holiness, ; and Maddox, Responsible Grace, Watson, A Biblical Dictionary, 439; Pope, Christian Compendium, III: ; Miley, Systematic Theology, II: ; Ralston, Elements of Divinity, ; Hills, Fundamental Christian Theology, II: ; Wiley, Christian Theology, III: ; Oden, Classic Christianity, 794, ,

19 activity in the new creation. A Wesleyan eschatological vision navigates well between two Christian extremes: an anthropocentric view focusing on heaven as an idealized picture of human life as presently known, with God receding to the background, and a theocentric understanding emphasizing contemplation and rest in the beatific vision of God, with God being fully known and human society fading in the light of divine glory. 33 A Wesleyan eschatology sees the righteous growing in their love of God and each other, as well as in their knowledge and understanding of God and creation. While there is rest in heaven, there is also perpetual increase and activity. John Wesley believed that when Christians die they are ushered directly into paradise, the intermediate state of the righteous, the ante-chamber of heaven, waiting for the day of resurrection. There, their physical senses of sight and hearing are heightened; memory and understanding are freed from the limitations of the fallen world; will and affections are made incorruptible; new senses are given to perceive the imperceptible in the created order; and growth in knowledge and love occurs in the presence of God. 34 Christians enjoy the intermediate expressions of their full destiny. 35 As growth in love and holiness do not happen apart from community in present life so the eschatological communion of saints continues its role. 36 After the general resurrection, final judgment, and the new creation, human destiny is fully expressed in an intimate, an uninterrupted union with God a continual enjoyment of the Three- One God and all the creatures in him, where ongoing growth takes place in the knowledge and love of God, humanity and the created order. Humanity s physical, intellectual, rational, social and spiritual abilities transcend what was ever experienced in Adamic perfection and are directed to God, others, and creation McDannell and Lang, Heaven: A History, 88-93, , Wesley, Sermon 51, The Good Steward, II.6-8, Works, 2: ; Sermon 132, On Faith, Works, 4: Maddox, Responsible Grace, Maddox, Responsible Grace, 249. One of Wesley s most famous quotes in his Preface to Hymns and Sacred Poems 1739 in The Works of Wesley (Jackson), 14: 321 makes this clear, Directly opposite to this is the Gospel of Christ. Solitary religion is not to be found here. Holy solitaries is a phrase no more consistent with the gospel than holy adulterers. The Gospel of Christ knows of no religion, but social; no holiness but social holiness. 37 Wesley, Sermon 64, The New Creation, 18, Works, 2: 510; Farther thoughts upon Christian Perfection, Q. 29, ed. Thomas Jackson, The Works of John Wesley, 11: 426; 19

20 Wesley s dynamic eschatological view of ever increasing degrees of glory in the intermediate state and in the new creation is embraced for the most part by the historic Methodist tradition that follows. 38 With all impediments of sin and corruption removed, with the created order transformed into an incorruptible state exceeding original creation, with humanity renewed in the imago dei and fully in the likeness of Christ, humanity is set free for an eternal life of growth in the infinite love of God, in mutual love and service to one another, and the care of creation. What begins in the present life, a participation in the life of God shared in communion of saints in the created order, intensifies in the intermediate state, and is experienced in ever increasing full measure in the life everlasting. 39 e. Divine Judgment The dynamic nature of the eschaton is seen also in a Wesleyan understanding of divine judgment. Wesley and his theological successors believed each human being s eternal trajectory is set at death by their placement in the intermediate state for the righteous or unrighteous. 40 This is no second probationary period. As addressed previously, the saints in paradise will be continually ripening for heaven perpetually holier and happier, while the unrighteous carry on in their recalcitrant spirit. 41 However, a Wesleyan eschatology places emphasis on final judgment when Christ returns in glory and the dead are bodily resurrected. People will stand individually before Christ and give an See Maddox s discussion of Wesley s commendation of Charles Bonnet s Conjectures Concerning the Nature of Future Happiness in Responsible Grace, Just as there are debates over the nature of the intermediate state in larger Christianity, there are debates over this state in Wesleyan theological circles, both presently and historically. The larger issue here is the basic Wesleyan understanding of the dynamic nature of the eschatological state. Here, the Wesleyan tradition speaks with great uniformity in regard to the eschatological heaven. 39 Watson, A Biblical and Theological Dictionary, ; Pope, Christian Compendium, III: 384; Miley, Systematic Theology, II: , ; Ralston, Elements of Divinity, ; Hills, Fundamental Christian Theology, II: , ; Wiley, Christian Theology, III: , ; Maddox, Responsible Grace, , Wesley, Sermon 51, The Good Steward, III.1, Works, 2: ; Pope, Christian Compendium, III: 376; Miley, Systematic Theology, II: ; Hills, Fundamental Christian Theology, II: ; Wiley, Christian Theology, III: ; Oden, Classic Christianity, Wesley, Sermon 132, On Faith, 5, Works, 4:

21 account of their lives: outward actions and words; and inward thoughts, desires, inclinations, and intentions. 42 They will be judged according to their stewardship of gifts and receptivity to the measure of light and truth given to them. Those who never heard the Gospel will be evaluated according to the law of their own nature, their conscience guided by their reason, and the law written in their hearts; Jews will be assessed by the Law of Moses; and Christians will be judged by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Final pronouncement will be based on their responsiveness to God s grace in faith. 43 The righteous will be rewarded in the new creation in proportion to their active response to grace, in their faith becoming active in love through works of mercy. Therefore the saints will reflect the divine goodness in the life everlasting in a different and individuated way. 44 Though each individual shares in the same salvation, the refracted glory will not be monotone, but varied. 45 The unrighteous will receive their due punishment in hell based on their sin in the present life. Just as there are different rewards in glory for the saints, there are different punishments in hell for the unrighteous. 46 A Wesleyan eschatology has historically rejected any form of universalism, annihilationism and predestination to damnation. While the exact nature of hell is unclear, it is a spiritual state and physical place existing in alienation from God. It is for those who freely have chosen to resist and reject God s overtures of grace, whether through conscience, the Mosaic law or the Gospel. God ultimately respects and honors humanity s refusal to cooperate with divine grace. While this possibility is truly grievous, the alternative would ultimately involve either irresistible or indiscriminate salvation, both of which are contradictory to a God of responsible grace Wesley, Sermon 15, The Great Assize, II: 2-6, Works, 1:360-63; Pope, Christian Compendium, III: ; Miley, Systematic Theology, II: ; Hills, Fundamental Christian Theology, II: 402-3; Kenneth Collins, The Theology of John Wesley, ; Oden, Classic Christianity, Pope, Christian Compendium, III: ; Miley, Systematic Theology, II: ; Ralston, Elements of Divinity, 515; Hills, Fundamental Christian Theology, II: 403-4; Wiley, Christian Theology, III: ; Oden, Classic Christianity, Watson, A Biblical Dictionary, ; Ralston, Elements of Divinity, 515; Hills, Fundamental Christian Theology, II: 404; Wiley, Christian Theology, III: 351; Grider, A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology, 548; Oden, Classic Christianity, Oden, Classic Christianity, Grider, A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology, Maddox, Responsible Grace,

22 f. Optimism for God Fearers and Workers of Righteousness A Wesleyan eschatological view expresses hope that there will be people in heaven who never professed faith in Christ in the present life. In contrast to the exclusive restrictivist understanding as seen in the Augustinian-Tridentine Catholic tradition, there is a strong sense of optimism that all who fear God and work righteousness according to the grace given them will be accepted of Him through Jesus Christ. 48 In contrast to Reformed doctrines of predestination and common grace, a Wesleyan eschatology believes that God s prevenient grace given to all, made available through Jesus Christ s atoning work, makes salvation possible for all. 49 Undergirding Wesleyan hope is belief in the unlimited atonement of Christ, confidence that God wills that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, (1 Timothy 2:4) and that judgment shall be according to the light given. This optimism originates in John Wesley, who increasingly expressed such hope as he aged. 50 First, Wesley refused to make judgments about the eternal destinies of people from other religions. Regarding Jews, he stated that Christians should leave their fate in the hands of God; about Muslims, he believed some had come to true religion through prevenient grace; and he praised the response other religions had made to the light given them. 51 Second, Wesley began to see the possibility that people who were not Christians might have saving faith in an infant state, enabling everyone that possesses it to fear God and work righteousness. 52 Finally, Wesley believed God will be rich in mercy to the heathen who call upon him according to the light they have, and they will be accepted by God in final judgment if they walk in that grace Thomas A. Noble, Only Exclusivism Will Do: Gavin D Costa s Change of Mind, Wesleyan Theological Journal 48:1 (2013): Noble, Only Exclusivism Will Do, It should be noted that not all Wesleyans or contemporary interpreters of Wesley read Wesley in as inclusive light as I do here. See Donald Thorsen, Jesus, Ecumenism, and Interfaith Relations: A Wesleyan Perspective, in Wesleyan Theological Journal 47: 1 (Spring, 2012): 69, and Stan Rodes, Was John Wesley Arguing for Prevenient Grace as Regenerative?, Wesleyan Theological Journal 48: 1 (2013): Wesley, Sermon 130, On Living without God, 14, Works, 4: Wesley, Sermon 106, On Faith, 10, Works, 3: Wesley, Sermon 91, On Charity, I.3, Works, 3: For more detailed discussion of Wesley s views, see Maddox, Wesley and the Question of Truth or 22

23 Wesley s theological heirs generally followed him on this point to varying degrees. John Fletcher recognised that humanity in every age and place has been given varying dispensations of divine grace by which they can be saved. 54 Through prevenient grace every person can cease to do evil, learn to do well, and use the means which will infallibly end in the repentance and faith peculiar to the dispensation they are under, whether it be that of Heathens, Jews, or Christians. 55 William Burt Pope repeatedly affirmed the necessity of refraining from judgment on the eternal destinies of people from other religions and of people who have never heard the Gospel. Judgment must be reserved to God alone. 56 However, he articulates the nature by which all will be judged: as there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved, all who are not saved must reject that Name in some way revealed to them. 57 Richard Ralston taught that everyone has a dispensation of divine grace and even those without the Gospel can live by the Holy Spirit according to the light given them and be saved from inevitable destruction. 58 Thomas Oden has argued that everyone has been given grace to enable each to respond rightly to whatever opportunities are made possible, and to develop at least nascent faith such as the Letter to the Hebrews ascribes to Abel, and be saved in the end. 59 Perhaps, Kenneth Collins has stated the Wesleyan belief here concisely, That is, in each instance, in the past as in a future reign, the children of Adam and Eve, at any step along the way of salvation history, are given sufficient, even if differing, grace for their needs. 60 Even without the Gospel and the Church, humanity has available grace capable of leading to salvation. 61 There is a strong optimism in the Wesleyan tradition that there will be some people in heaven who never formally professed Christ in the present life. Salvation through Other Religions, 7-29, and Philip R. Meadows, Candidates for Heaven: Wesleyan Resources for a Theology of Religions, Fletcher, Third Check to Antinomianism, Works of Fletcher, I: Fletcher, Third Check to Antinomianism, I: Pope, Christian Compendium, III: Pope, Christian Compendium, III: Ralston, Elements of Divinity, 336, Oden, Classic Christianity, , Collins, The Theology of John Wesley, The real issue is whether people truly cooperate with the grace made available to them. 23